Couples that keep fit together stick together? Japanese survey reveals sleeping habits and benefits of joint exercise for husbands and wives

The sleeping habits of Japanese couples and the benefits of exercising together as a key to good marital relations have been revealed in a private survey.

The survey was conducted online with 876 people by docomo Healthcare Inc. between August and October. The result was released ahead of the commemoration day in Japan for happily married couples, on Thursday.

The survey found that 35.9 percent of respondents sleep in the same bed with their spouses, of which 29.1 percent said that they feel stressed as a result.

On the primary reason for sleeping in separate beds, 24.8 percent cited different rhythms to their daily lives, followed by 21.1 percent who do so after a baby is born and 10.6 percent who find the snoring of their spouses too noisy.

The proportion of deep sleep during sleeping hours stood at 33.2 percent for those who sleep in the same bed, 34.9 percent for those who have slept separately from the beginning of their married lives and 36.1 percent who switched to sleeping separately later.

Meanwhile, 23.2 percent of respondents do physical exercises together with their spouses. Regarding why, 28.7 percent said they enjoy doing so, followed by 22.6 percent who want to facilitate communication and 19.4 percent who find the habit uplifting.

Asked whether exercising together has improved their marital relations, 61.5 percent said they believe so and 0.5 percent answered the opposite. For 38 percent, their relations remained unchanged.